Ophelia Johnson The 2014 Goldwater Scholars from UAB are Bliss Chang, a junior with a double-major in biochemistry and biology, and Ophelia Johnson, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. Luke McClintock, a sophomore chemistry major, received an honorable mention.

Chang and Johnson were selected from a pool of more than 1,100 student applicants. UAB’s two scholars are among just 283 students who received the award nationwide. The scholars were selected based on their academic achievements outlined in the nominations submitted by faculty members. To date, UAB has had 19 Goldwater Scholars.

The Goldwater scholarship program began in 1989 with the purpose of encouraging outstanding students to pursue careers in engineering, mathematics and the natural sciences. The foundation grants each recipient a scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year that covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Townes is an internationally renowned researcher who is doing groundbreaking research in gene replacement for conditions such as sickle cell disease.

The UAB Research Civitan Club will host a lecture on gene replacement therapy as a means of treating diseases as part of its ongoing Science, Communication and Innovation talks. Tim Townes, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, will give the lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 18. Townes is an internationally renowned researcher who is doing groundbreaking research in gene replacement for conditions such as sickle cell disease.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be at the Civitan International Research Center, at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. Parking is available at the Spain Rehabilitation Center on Sixth Avenue.

The event, which features live talks in the spirit of the TED experience, is themed “Rediscover the Magic of Birmingham."

The University of Alabama at Birminghamwill have a significant presence in the TEDx Birmingham event slated for Saturday, March 1, 2014. The event, which features live talks in the spirit of the TED experience, is themed “Rediscover the Magic of Birmingham” and will take place at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South.

Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, is the co-organizer. She gave a TED talkon her archaeological work as a main stage presenter during the prestigious international conference last year. She was also recently named among the 2014 class of TED Senior Fellows.

The presenters, Diana Noah, Ph.D., and James Noah, Ph.D, virologists at SRI and adjunct faculty in the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, used evidence, common sense and humor to squash five flu myths that never seem to go away.

Myth #1: It’s just the flu. What’s the big deal?

On average, the flu kills 36,000 people and sends 200,000 to the hospital each year. Groups at increased risk include those ages 65 and older, people with chronic diseases, infants, people with poor immune systems, pregnant women and nursing home residents. “So, even if flu is ‘no big deal’ to you, if you are infected with the flu virus you can easily help spread the virus to someone in one of these groups,” said Diana Noah. “The cornerstone of prevention is the flu shot.”

Myth #2: Vaccines can give me the flu.

“The basic flu shot uses inactivated virus, which cannot transmit the flu,” said Jim Noah. “Side effects are soreness, redness, swelling, low-grade fever and aches that may last one to two days, but this is a normal reaction to any vaccination. It’s not the flu.” Noah says the flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including people with chronic medical conditions.

Myth #3: Flu shots never work anyway.

Not true. “Vaccination with the 2012-13 flu season vaccine reduced the risk of flu-associated medical visits from H3N2 viruses by one half and from flu B viruses by two-thirds for most of the population,” said Diana Noah. The vaccine is designed to be effective against the flu strains most likely to be encountered in a given year. Flu patterns, including the strains reported from the Southern Hemisphere where the flu season is some six months ahead of the Northern Hemisphere, are analyzed so that vaccines best match the actual strains. And the vaccine is usually effective against three or four different flu strains. “Vaccination rates are crucial to outbreak management,” said Jim Noah.

Myth #4: Vaccines are dangerous, especially for pregnant women

“The risks from getting flu far out way any risk from the vaccine,” said Diana Noah. “Pregnant women are more prone to severe illness from flu and have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery. Flu also is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant. The flu shot has been given to millions of pregnant women over many years. Flu shots have not been shown to cause harm to pregnant women or their babies.” Noah does say the nasal spray vaccine should not be taken by pregnant women.

“Studies have shown that the vaccine does increase the risk of contracting Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition,” said Jim Noah. “The vaccine causes one additional case of Guillain-Barré per every 1 million vaccinations. However, there are 17 additional cases of GBS for every 1 million influenza infections.”

Myth #5: It’s too late to get vaccinated

“Anytime during flu season is the right time to get vaccinated, said Diana Noah. “Typically, the U.S. influenza season occurs from October through May, with peaks in November and February.” Some people are at high risk of developing serious complications, such as pneumonia, if they get sick with the flu, including people who have certain medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. Also, pregnant woman and those ages 5 and younger — and especially under 2 — along with those ages 65 and older.

“I congratulate Ameen and Miranda, as well as the programs and people that nurtured their development,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts. “It is a testament to the outstanding quality of our students, faculty and staff that UAB has produced 13 Goldwater Scholars and five honorable mentions in the past six years. We are extremely proud of their successes.”

“I want to be the physical bridge between the realms of drug discovery and rehabilitation innovation,” said Barghi. “If I could create a therapy or a drug that would be inexpensive and work quickly, then that would be the ultimate success.”

Miranda Collier

Barghi wants to be an M.D./Ph.D., doing university-level research at UAB. His passion for medicine and UAB began as a sophomore in high school when he signed up for the Teenaged Volunteer (TAV) Program at UAB Hospital, and he was assigned to the Center for Psychiatric Medicine. The neuroimages and research in the lab fascinated him, and he wanted more.

He chose rehabilitation medicine because it is one of the few areas that offers positive long-term impacts, which Barghi sees firsthand.

“I once met a veteran U.S. Army Ranger who was missing an arm,” said Barghi. “This huge, tough guy would tear up when his son walked into the lab because he could not interact using his prosthetic arm. Three weeks of therapy, and he was able to hug his wife and pick up his son like it was natural. These are the type of tangible results we get daily.”

“I thought to myself, in 10 years do I want to be prescribing medicine to patients, or do I want to design the medicines that should be prescribed to them,” said Collier.

Collier describes her time in Oxford as a defining experience in her life. Under Benesch’s guidance, she used mass spectrometry, a method of displaying the singular spectrum of the masses of molecules in a protein, to research the structure and behavior of a particular protein complex.

The idea of looking at a complex organism as a whole is also how Collier, a member of the University Honors Program, sees UAB. She is a teaching assistant, co-editor of Inquiro, UAB’s undergraduate science research journal, and she has recently been working with another student to reinstitute the Undergraduate Research Organization to encourage collaboration among student researchers. She wants students, especially freshmen, to know what opportunities are available to them.

“If you just go through school only worrying about yourself, then what’s the point?” she said.

Collier is grateful to UAB faculty for their willingness to help undergraduate researchers.

“I’ve asked professors in chemistry, biology, vision sciences, pharmacology and nutrition sciences if I can work with them or use equipment in their labs, and they have all helped me,” said Collier. “I have learned so much from them.”

UAB has had four Goldwater scholar winners in the last two years. Barghi and Collier are the 16th and 17th UAB students to win, and they are two of only four students in Alabama to win the award for 2013. The magnitude of the award is not lost on Barghi or Collier.

“This award is not necessarily about what you have done, but about your potential and what you can do for the future of science,” said Collier. “I now feel a compulsion, because I have this award to my name, to do it justice. It is gratifying and humbling.”

The deadline for applying is Jan. 13, 2013. Those interested must complete an application online at www.AlabamaLaunchpad.com and pay a $150 application fee. Rules and a timeline can be found on the Launchpad website. The 2013 Launchpad class will be announced Jan. 31, 2013.

Krishna was honored for “distinguished original contributions” to methods that use nuclear magnetic resonance, a technology that reveals the structure of molecules, either to understand their biology or used in the discovery and design of novel drugs for treating tumors and other maladies. Also noted were Krishna’s contributions to the understanding of the structural biology of scorpion neurotoxins. These proteins are of significant interest in the potential treatment of epilepsy and gliomas.

This year, 701 AAAS members have been awarded the honor for their efforts to advance science or its applications. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, which has an estimated total readership of 1 million.

New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and their gold and blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2013, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston.

World-renowned experts in health and wellness topics will come together Nov. 14-15 to help employers fashion their own programs targeting employee health.

The concept of wellness — actively seeking good health — is not a new one, though its appearance in workplaces around the United States is just now ramping up.

Larger corporations like Exxon Mobil and Wal-Mart have incorporated employee wellness programs in recent years, and as the waistlines of Americans expand, more companies are seeing the need for a focus on employee health.

On Nov. 14 and 15, 2012, experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will be available to provide scientific, technical and business perspectives on applying wellness in the workplace at the Innovations in Wellness Conference.

UAB’s own wellness efforts have brought many benefits, says Alesia Jones, UAB Chief Human Resources Officer. “We have seen a shift in the culture of our organization since we implemented a strategic wellness program and it’s a shift that our faculty and staff wanted to see,” she says.

Jones explains that employees are making healthier choices in the cafeterias, getting active on walking paths and becoming more invested in their own health through a blood pressure- and weight-tracking program.

“All of our own employee resources have come together to build bridges between their areas of expertise to establish a solid foundation for our employee wellness program so that the services and initiatives we offer are grounded in research and behavioral science,” Jones says.

“Our people matter, therefore our organization is committed to providing them with ways to make healthy lifestyles a reality, and now the Innovations in Wellness Conference will give others the chance to make the same impact,” Jones adds.

Implementing an employee health program is possible with or without an experienced program planner, says Lauren Whitt, Ph.D., UAB Wellness coordinator. But Whitt says there are many facets of wellness that need to be covered in order to achieve the benefits of a successful employee health program; these topics and more will be covered at the conference.

“Whether you’re still thinking about starting a wellness program or managing a comprehensive health management program, this conference will provide advice from seasoned human resources, benefits and wellness leaders, as well as innovative insights from physicians, researchers, practitioners and educators, that you can incorporate into your corporate wellness initiatives,” Whitt says.

“Health care and preventive measures have become a hot topic in today’s discussions around benefits and the upcoming election,” Whitt adds, noting that developing a better understanding of these measures through the conference can benefit aspiring or current wellness leaders as well as the employees in their care.

The Innovations in Wellness Conference will take place Nov. 14-15 at the UAB Alumni House, 1301 10th Ave. South. A full event agenda and registration is available now online. Space will be limited as business and medical professionals working in health, wellness, exercise, human resources, healthcare administration, education and related fields will be welcomed, so please register as soon as possible.

DBA is a rare, childhood bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by the inability to make red blood cells. Goldman and research partner Tim Townes, Ph.D., chairman of the UAB Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, plan to correct the genetic defect in skin cells obtained from patients with DBA, then convert the skin cells into hematopoietic stem cells that are once again capable of making red blood cells. Goldman and Townes are both senior scientists at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The ultimate goal of this preclinical study is to make this a therapeutic option, and possible cure, for patients who currently are being treated with monthly blood transfusions,” says Goldman.

Chow’s efforts as a pioneering scientist have drawn talented graduate students and junior faculty from across the nation and around the world to UAB to work and study with her. “Our lab is excited, and I’m very pleased to be recognized by my colleagues and fellow scientists for my contributions to science to which I have dedicated my life," Chow says.

Chow, elected along with 84 new members and 20 other foreign associates, is the only member located in the state of Alabama and the second ever elected from UAB (the other was Max Cooper, M.D., presently at Emory University, in 1988). There are currently 2,152 active NAS members. Among the NAS’s renowned members are Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright, and Alexander Graham Bell. Nearly 200 living Academy members have won Nobel Prizes.

“This is a singular honor for Dr. Chow’s body of work, and all of us at UAB are very proud of her and this international recognition she has received,” UAB President Carol Garrison says.

“This honor has been a long time coming,” says Tim Townes, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. “The National Academy could not have elected a more deserving scientist or a better person.”

As one of today’s pre-eminent leaders in the study of the human papillomaviruses, the virus responsible for cervical cancer, Chow has worked on bacterial, animal and human viruses for more than 43 years.

Chow, who was born in China and came to the United States from Taiwan in 1965, obtained her graduate degree from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. As a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California-San Francisco, she investigated the presence of defective DNA of the monkey tumor virus SV40, beginning her career focusing on DNA tumor viruses.

In 1975, she and her husband, UAB Professor Thomas Broker, joined the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, N.Y. Initially, her work focused on the genetic organization, RNA transcription and DNA replication of human adenoviruses, which cause common respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infections. While using an electron microscope to examine the structures of viral mRNA in a complex with the viral DNA, a relatively new method at the time, they and their colleagues determined the coordinates of all the early and late adenovirus mRNAs. In the course of this work, in 1977, she and her collaborators discovered the totally unexpected phenomenon of split genes and RNA splicing. This work became the foundation for the understanding the human and the other eukaryotic genomes, the origin of most of their encoded proteins and the cause of many different genetic diseases.

“I remember being a graduate student in 1977 and reading Louise’s work. She had the cover of Cell. She was the first person to see a spliced RNA,” Townes says.

Chow joined the University of Rochester in 1984, where her team concentrated on distinguishing the growing number of human papillomavirus genotypes as well as the spliced structures of their mRNAs. These viruses cause laryngeal papillomas, genital warts, cervical dysplasias, and genital cancers as well as a significant fraction of head and neck cancers in women and men. The team developed approaches to determine the patterns of HPV RNA expression and DNA amplification in the spectrum of patient lesions and from this invented a novel strategy for detection of HPV in patient cells and tissues that has become a global standard for molecular diagnosis.

Chow and Broker joined UAB in 1993 and continued their work in understanding the pathology biology of the human papillomavirus. Culminating more than 25 years of research, at UAB she and her team developed a process to produce abundant infectious HPV-18, one of the dominant HPV types that cause cancers. The new method allowed researchers to reproduce the entire infection cycle of HPV-18. This discovery has further paved the way to study HPV pathobiology and to advance genetic analysis. Currently, their lab is investigating virus-host interaction, which is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic agents to treat benign infections prior to progression to cancers.

“Louise is a very valuable member of our department and a real feather in UAB’s cap,” Townes says. “She mentors faculty, teaches students and post-docs and works tirelessly.”

Ray Watts, M.D., dean of the UAB School of Medicine, says, “Dr. Chow is a preeminent scholar. Her contributions to science and medicine are vast; they touch the lives of millions of people around the world. We are indeed fortunate to have Dr. Chow and her husband and collaborator Dr. Tom Broker, at UAB.”

“Dr. Chow has made numerous influential discoveries in the replication of HPV as well as its carcinogenesis and this is a well-deserved honor recognizing her significant contributions to the knowledge and understanding of HPV,” says Edward Partridge, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Having this world-class scholar in our midst is a source of tremendous pride for the entire community, and we are thrilled that Dr. Chow’s work has been recognized with this rare honor.”

Tim Townes, Ph.D., was awarded the HudsonAlpha Prize for his work on sickle-cell disease and related blood disorders.

Tim Townes, Ph.D., professor and chair of the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, was awarded the HudsonAlpha Prize for his work on sickle-cell disease and related blood disorders. The $20,000 monetary award acknowledges exceptional talent, dedication and discovery by Alabama’s best and brightest researchers.

The prize was announced at the HudsonAlpha Spring Benefit held April 26, 2012. “In research you never speak lightly of curing a disease, but if anyone is going to cure sickle cell, it will be Tim,” said Rick Myers, Ph.D., director and president of the HudsonAlpha Institute.

Townes has dedicated his career to studying the molecular genetics of gene expression in red blood cells and exploring approaches to treat disorders such as sickle cell anemia.

Using mice, Townes and research colleagues have been able to reprogram cells that mimic sickle cell anemia as induced pluripotent stem cells. Such cells have the potential of becoming any type of tissue. The researchers have corrected the DNA mutation in the gene associated with sickle cell disease, placed the cells with the corrected DNA in the donor mice and produced healthy red blood cells.

Townes has repeated similar steps in humans, except for having the corrected cells placed back into the donor.

The HudsonAlpha Prize is made possible by the Alpha Foundation. The prize rewards research in the life sciences that seeks to improve human or environmental health, or agricultural yields, while elevating research careers and endeavors for current and future students in biotechnology. Historically, the pool of nominees, comprised of leading scientists at Alabama’s public research universities, includes individuals or teams who are sharpening the cutting edge of critical knowledge.

Heaven’s team is developing an automated process to improve scientific research at the molecular level by quantitative mass spectrometry using products and software. The process facilitates high-throughput screening identification of biomarkers of disease, quantitative determination of unknown components in complex mixtures and targeted measurements of sample constituents. He hopes the analytical software will make it easier for researchers to find quantitative results from a mass spectrometer.

Heaven worked with Proteomic Profiling Technologies team member Erik Schwiebert, Ph.D., instructor in the UAB Collat School of Business, on the business plan for nearly two years. They plan to use the EDPA funding to build a prototype product that will be tested at three research facilities.

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama announces the 2011-12 Alabama Launchpad class. UAB leads all universities with six finalists; twice as many as the next closest university. Alabama Launchpad is an annual business plan competition that feeds into economic development for the state. The grand prize is $100,000. The UAB finalists are:

Blondin Biosciences LLC,developing low-cost solutions to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases of aging. The team leader is David Graves, professor and chair, Department of Chemistry. Team members are Kevin Harris, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, UAB Division of Hematology and Oncology; Katri Selander, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology; and Clinton Graves.

inDegree, developing an Alumni tracking service that helps universities stay connected with graduates and build stronger alumni communities while helping students leverage their alumni networks in the job market. The team leader is Alex Miningham. Team members are Molly Wasko, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, MISQ, UAB Collat School of Business, and Samuel Wasko.

Proteomic Profiling Technologies LLC, developing automated processes to improve scientific research at the molecular level by quantitative mass spectrometry using products and software. The team leader is Michael Heaven, a graduate assistant in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Team member is Erik Schwiebert, Ph.D., instructor, UAB School of Business.

Regenerative Solutions, providing specialized preclinical testing for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals offering more accurate prediction of a drug candidate’s potential to work in human patient clinical trials. The team leader is Louise Hecker, Ph.D., instructor in medicine, UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine. Team members are Doug Ayers, Ph.D., associate professor, UAB School of Business; James Childs; and Perry Cronin.]

Snip-IT, enables users to segment YouTube video without video editing software allowing users to bookmark segments, play in any browser and embed in applications. The team leader is Scott Brande, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Chemistry. Team members are Kursat Arslan, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry.